NCCU student named 2015 NASW-NC Presidents' Award Winner

North Carolina Central University social work student named
NASW-NC 2015 Presidents’ Award Recipient

(RALEIGH, NC) – The National Association of Social Workers North Carolina Chapter (NASW-NC) has named Erum Agha as the recipient of the 2015 NASW-NC Presidents’ Award for Master of Social Work (MSW) graduate student for the 2014-2015 academic year. Erum Agha is an outstanding graduate student at the Department of Social Work at North Carolina Central University (NCCU).

Ms. Agha exhibits a dedication to the social work profession through her academic excellence, community involvement, and professional experience. The NASW-NC Presidents’ Award honors Agha’s exceptional leadership skills and professional potential.

Ms. Agha has a background in engineering and attended business school but her “heart remained with research, advocacy, and community service to create changes needed to make our society and our world a more pleasant place.” Ms. Agha has demonstrated outstanding dedication to the profession of social work through her internship at the NCCU Women’s Center.

As the MSW intern at the NCCU Women’s Center, Ms. Agha is charged with creating and coordinating programs that focus on healthy masculinity, sexual assault and intimate partner violence prevention work, women’s empowerment and self-care. She provides support to students with mental and behavioral health concerns.

With the aim to address factors such as low self-esteem, lack of financial acumen, relationship stress and not taking care of oneself, Ms. Agha created a workshop called the “Independent Woman,” which aims at empowering female students. The workshop targets time management, personal finances and relationships and its impact on the student’s academic and general well-being. This workshop will now be part of the new student orientation at the Women’s Center.

Assistant Director for Interpersonal Violence of the Women’s Center, Krystal George says of Agha, “She gives her all with every project and genuinely cares about the clients that she sees.”

Ms. Agha will be honored at the 2015 NASW-NC Ethics Conference and Awards Luncheon on Friday, March 6, 2015 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh.

Comments...

Congratulations Erum. This is a terrific honor. Kudos to NCCU for nurturing that "something special" in you. I look forward to your many professional contributions. Happy Social Work Month!
Iris Carlton-LaNey,
Social Work Professor
UNC Chapel Hill

Erum is a wonderful person: warm, funny, engaging and modest! I have the pleasure of being her classmate and fellow honor society member at North Carolina Central University. She is truly one of the nicest and hardest working women you'd ever meet. Although she is very modest about her accomplishments they speak volumes for her. I'm very proud of her and her contributions to the social work program at Central and thrilled to hear she is this year's recipient!